Melding Movies and Medicine

Winners in each category

Grand Prize: Spiral CTR Injector, Takahiro Shimowake (Japan)

Cataract/Implant Surgery

Winner: The Optimal IOP for the Stable Anterior Chamber in Cataract Surgery, Hisaharu Suzuki (Japan)

Runner Up: A New Miyake-Apple View System Using a Nasal Endoscope, Takeshi Sugiura (Japan)

Cataract Complications/ Challenging Cases

Winner: Innovative Extraction Technique for Dislocated Intraocular Lens, Santaro Noguchi (Japan)

Runner Up: The Polar Bug, Tushya Om Parkash (India)

Refractive/Corneal Surgery

by Hazlin Hassan

As expected, this year’s APACRS Film Festival delivers and does not disappoint

Visuals can have a stronger impact than the written word. Most of the time, films can help deliver a message faster and more effectively. This was evident during the Film Festival Symposium and Awards Ceremony at the 35th Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS 2023) annual meeting held yesterday, where this year’s best films were honored and celebrated.

This year saw stiff competition featuring over 70 videos by aspiring and seasoned filmmakers from 15 countries submitted for consideration in the APACRS Film Festival competition sponsored by Alcon.

The Cataract Implant Surgery Category had the highest number of submissions — 23 in total. A recent global survey run by Alcon called Eye On Cataract revealed that patients ranked vision as the second-most important aspect of aging, second only to memory, said Chintan Desai, Alcon vice-president (surgical) for the AsiaPacific.

“At Alcon, we understand the importance of vision in patients’ lives and the need for innovation and the difference it can make,” he said, adding that experts such as surgeons at congresses like the APACRS help in bringing together ideas and innovations.

Creative display of innovations in ophthalmology

During the ceremony, the audience was treated to presentations of the must-watch winning entries, which were entertaining and educational — creatively displaying innovations and breakthroughs in ophthalmic surgery.

The panel of judges who vetted the entrants were attired in colorful batik shirts at the awards ceremony, a nod to host-country Singapore’s culture and heritage.

Winner: Tissue Addition for Hyperopia — The Whole Story, Sheetal Brar (India)

Runner Up: Fog Away SLET, Kyong Woo Kim (South Korea)

General Interest

Winner: Future Forward — Artificial Intelligence Assisted Eye Care

Runner Up: A Modified Sewing Machine Technique for Iridodialysis Repair, Elizabeth Aileen Giller (Philippines)

Dr. Sheetal Brar, cataract and refractive surgeon at Nethradhama Superspeciality Eye Hospital, India, and winner of the Refractive/Corneal Surgery category, revealed that she had already won nine consecutive APACRS Film Awards, to which a judge quipped that the organization could appoint her as a judge in the future so that other candidates would have a chance at winning.